Monday, November 23, 2009

Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!"MARLEY WAS DEAD. There was no doubt whatever that Old Marley was dead as a doornail. That must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story of Ebenezer Scrooge." So begins Charles Dickens's classic story A Christmas Carol beautifully imagined here by Brett Helquist in this new illustrated version. Scrooge, a holiday hating miser, is visited by three spirits: the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, who teach him the true meaning of the season over the course of one fateful night. When he rises on Christmas morning Scrooge is a changed man, and decides to devote his life to helping instead of hating. This is the original Dickens text, so only read it to your children with long attention spans, but readers of all ages can appreciate the breath-taking pictures. See this book listed in our catalog

Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!Meet an awesome tree-hugging bear in Big Bear Hug by Canadian artist Nicholas Oldland. This bear has so much love in his heart, he just feels compelled to hug everything in the forest, including things he's supposed to eat like rabbits, big things like moose, and small things like birds. His favorite thing to hug though, is trees. You name a tree, this bear has hugged it. One day while attempting to hug a tree and a beaver at the same time, the bear sees a man about to chop down one of the most beautiful trees in the forest. It's not in his nature to hurt a man, so the bear does what he does best. Thankfully, this man is not used to hugging bears and runs far, far away! Read this adorable book with your child, and then go hug some trees of your own! See this book listed in our catalog

Friday, November 20, 2009

Submitted by Melissa from Lexington Park!The Mitten, adapted and illustrated by Jan Brett, features beautiful pictures of a boy and his mittens. These mittens, made by his grandmother, are white, and blend in perfectly with the snow when he drops one of them to the ground. Once there, many woodland creatures happen upon it, and take refuge in its warmth. Meanwhile, the boy retraces his steps in search of his mitten. He finally finds it floating in the air. With every turn of the page, young readers are introduced to three scenes: two explain what is happening in the present, and the one on the right predicts what is to come next. Who would have ever thought that eight animals could fit in one small mitten? Children can count the mole, rabbit, hedgehog, owl, badger, fox, bear, and mouse, as they climb into the cozy mitten. You can explore this book in our Side by Side collection, where you will find more suggestions and activities you can do with your child while you read. See this book listed in our catalog

Submitted by Sue from Leonardtown!Blueberries for Sal, written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey, tells the story of a little girl named Sal and a bear cub. One summer day Little Sal and her Mom decided to go to Blueberry Hill to pick blueberries. “We will take our berries home and can them,” said her mother. Little Sal had a small tin bucket just like her mother's. When she dropped blueberries into the pail it made a kurplunk, kurplunk, kurplunk sound. Sal ate most of the berries she picked and some of her mother's, until mom said to run along and pick her own berries. On the other side of the hill, Little Bear came with his mother to eat blueberries. Before long, Little Bear and Sal both got tired of trying to keep up with their mothers, and sat still eating berries in the middle of the patch. Then they started out to find their mothers. Unfortunately Little Sal and Little Bear got them mixed up with each other! This story with charming pictures will continue to enchant even after it’s been read. See this book listed in our catalog

Submitted by Catherine from Charlotte Hall!In Pouch by David Ezra Stein, we meet little Joey--a brand new baby Kangaroo! Joey is so excited to explore his new world, but whenever something scares him, he goes running back to mom yelling “Pouch!” and dives into the safe warm pocket. But with every trip back, Joey becomes a bit more brave, until he realizes that maybe this world isn’t so scary after all. This would be a wonderful book to read aloud, especially to a child who is just starting to learn their numbers. Each time Joey ventures out he adds one more hop to his trip. Kids will also love yelling “Pouch!” along with Joey as he goes running home. This simple story about overcoming fears and making friends would be a wonderful addition to any story time with you and your child. See this book listed in our catalog

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Submitted by Carol from Charlotte Hall!A Turkey for Thanksgiving written by Eve Bunting, and illustrated by Diane de Groat, is a cute story about a Moose family who wants a turkey for Thanksgiving. The Moose family is very excited for the Thanksgiving holiday and they are so happy to have friends joining them. Everything is wonderful, except one thing: Mrs. Moose wants so badly to have a turkey for Thanksgiving this year! Everyone always has a turkey--everyone except them. So Mr. Moose and his friends set out to get a turkey for Thanksgiving. Finally they find Turkey. Turkey, of course, is quite frightened, and he tries hard to get away, but he is caught, and brought home for Thanksgiving dinner. However, to his great surprise and delight, he is a guest at the Moose family table, and not the main course! This is a great story about friendship and love during the Thanksgiving holiday. See this book listed in our catalog

Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!If your child likes cats, they will LOVE There Are Cats in This Book by Viviane Schwarz. As the title indicates, there are cats in this book--three of them in fact: Tiny, Moonpie, and Andre. They are very friendly, and love to play. They seem excited to meet you! As your child lifts the flaps and turns the pages of this book, they are actually interacting with the cats--throwing yarn, hiding in boxes, even having a pillow fight! The cats are excited to see there are also fish in this book, but not so excited when it means there must be a tidal wave. Luckily, you can save them by turning the page! And don't forget to blow them dry. When you're finished playing, tuck the cats back into their blanket, but come back to play soon! See this book listed in our catalog

Submitted by Tammy, driver of the WoW van!Kitty Cat, Kitty Cat, Are You Waking Up? by Bill Martin Jr. and Michael Sampson. A kitten and her patient mother take part in the daily ritual of getting ready for school. This comic rhyming book shows the struggle in the cat household, as the mother cat responds to the actions of her kitten, who dilly-dallies in the morning when she should be getting ready for school! Readers follow along as the kitten snuggles on her pillow, stands on her head in bed, tears apart the bedroom in search of socks, discovers and chases a mouse. The mouse serves as an interested observer on each page, and escapes the kitten when she is swept off to school. In the end, the mother cat and her little kitten share a warm hug. Even having a they're having a tough morning, they still love each other. See this book listed in our catalog

Monday, November 16, 2009

Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!Mousie Love by Dori Chaconas, illustrated by Josee Masse, relates the epic romance of Tully and Frill, two house mice. For Tully, it's love at first sight when he first sets eyes on Frill. In fact, the first words he says to her are "Will you marry me?" Frill doesn't say no. She doesn't say yes. She actually doesn't have time to say anything before Tully interjects "Of course! You must be wondering where we'll live." and dashes off to find them a house. Tully proposes multiple times, but before Frill can answer he remembers something else he needs to provide: breakfast (in the form of a fresh muffin), something shiney (a star will suffice nicely) all while escaping the attention of the house cat, of course. Finally Frill gives Tully an answer. What do you think it will be? You'll have to check out Mousie Love to find out! See this book listed in our catalog

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!"I'm Sunday Chutney and I'm a bit unusual" proclaims the titular character of Sunday Chutney by Aaron Blabey. What looks like a strange book on first inspection, turns out to be a touching and timely story about what it's like to be the "new kid" as many of our local military brats might be able to relate to. Because of Sunday's dad's job, she's lived all over the world, which is great, but with new homes, come new schools, filled with new people. Most kids think Sunday is weird, but she doesn't really mind! She likes who she is! She's very sure of the things she likes (like drum solos and marine biology) and the things she doesn't like (like her lazy eye and creamed corn). Sometimes she feels lonely, but she's getting really good at making new friends. Maybe your child would like to make friends with Sunday Chutney! See this book listed in our catalog

Monday, November 9, 2009

Submitted by county youth coordinator Janis!Comin' Down to Storytime by Rob Reid. This great picture book could definitely be used as a beginning book/song for every story time. This book is taken from the favorite song "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain!" The author uses animals to depict the children at story time. The verses include "We'll be comin' down to storytime when we come. Yee ha!" "hear a funny story," "say a nursery rhyme," "make a fingerplay," and so on, as all the farm animals run excitedly to the barn. It ends with, "We will check out lots of books when we leave, Bye Now!" The animals exit, each with at least one book in hand, and are shown on or under a big tree, reading. See this book listed in our catalog

Submitted by Allana from Leonardtown!The Rocking Horse Angel by Mercer Mayer gives me goose-bumps all the way through, but in a good way. A boy has grown tired of the long summer days playing in the pond looking for polliwogs, toads, snakes, and bugs. He now turns his attention to closets, cellars and attics. The attic, in particular, intrigues him, and he has decided to take a peek in there even though, instinctively, he knows he isn’t supposed to. He sees something in the shadows which frightens him a bit at first: some creature behind a large box with a head, ears, eyes... what can it be? It’s a dapple gray rocking horse! The boy climbs up to find “her” a perfect fit. He daydreams about adventures they will have, and the rocking horse senses what the boy is saying. He has vivid dreams about riding in the night sky, looking down on the farmlands below. The horse seems to be trying to tell him something, in fact in the first dream the horse is crying, the tear so big it surrounds the boy like a giant bubble which carries him into the air. In real life, during waking hours, the boy has become very sick with fever, and his parents are by his bedside. The rocking horse appears to him during the night, and each time flies him off in a dreamy adventure. But one night she tells him that this is real, and no matter how scary the ride may become he must not let go. He is riding through a terrifying storm where giant creatures are trying to stop him, and the boy has to trust the rocking horse like never before... See this book listed in our catalog

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!But Who Will Bell the Cats by Cynthia Von Buhler is a play on one of Aesop's fables: long ago, all the mice convened to discuss the problem with cats' ability to stalk them so quietly. It was suggested that all the cats wear bells, but who would bell the cats? In this story, a mouse and a bat try to think of ways to get bells on a princess's 8 spoiled cats. They try assault, disguise, even a fashion show modelling the bells, to get the cats to wear them, to no avail. Perhaps the princess herself will have intervene... This book also features creative typeface, and stunning three dimensional illustrations. Check it out today! See this book listed in our catalog

Submitted by Tess from Lexington Park!Want to raise a jazz lover? Have I got the book for you: Miles the Crocodile Plays the Colors of Jazz by Andy Blackman Hurwitz and illustrated by Andrew Cunningham! Miles is a trumpet playing crocodile here to demonstrate "that the colors of jazz can make beautiful art" through words, pictures, and music! The book comes with a CD of jazz music that corresponds with the story. My favorite track is "Blue Jazz Blue" in which Miles sings the "I Ain't Got No Cookie Blues" lamenting "I got my milk, but I want my cookie too!" If you like this kit, look out for other books in the "Baby Loves Jazz" series like Charlie Bird, Duck Ellington, and Ella Elephant. See this book listed in our catalog

Monday, November 2, 2009

Submitted by county youth coordinator Janis!Ned’s New Home by Kevin Tseng. Ned is a worm that loves apples (because they are red) and apple pie. Ned lives in a red apple, and he is perfectly content until his apple starts to rot! He decides to look for a new home, but has many problems. The pear is too wobbly, the lemon too sour, and the blueberry is too small. A bird comes along and takes him, and his future cherry home up in the sky. He uses an umbrella to float down to a tree where he finds his perfect new home. It is an apple still on the tree! This book has many possibilities: It is perfect for talking to your child about the life cycle of an apple from seed to fruit. It also is a good introduction to different fruits and their taste, size, and color. See this book listed in our catalog

Submitted by county youth coordinator Janis!An Apple Pie for Dinner by Susan VanHecke. This is a cumulative story from an old English folktale, “The Apple Dumpling.” Granny Smith (notice the play on words) wants to bake an apple pie. There is only one problem--she does not have any apples! She takes the plums she has and trades them for feathers, and then flowers, etc. until she trades for a basket of apples. All of the people she meets along the way go back to her house and help her make the pie and then eat it. The baked clay and mixed media illustrations really add dimension to this wonderful book. There is an apple pie recipe included, as well as a website for fun activities to do with your child. See this book listed in our catalog

Submitted by Amanda from Lexington Park!I Am a Rainbow by Dolly Parton is an adorable book that associates colors with emotions that every boy and girl experiences. Written in rhyme, it connects each feeling and color with a great picture to illustrate the point. Pink- as sweet at cotton candy! Red- as angry as a bear! Blue - bored and sad! It goes on and on. The author shows that everyone has feelings as different as colors, and urges the reader to understand those feelings in others. She goes on to explain that everyone is a rainbow of different feelings, and “It’s not up to you, the way that you feel. But how you act IS a different deal.” See this book listed in our catalog